O's vs M's 1997 ALDS game 4 on MASN

[SouthRider]

Did anyone else catch this game on MASN today? I hadn't seen or thought about since it occurred 10 long years ago. It was a very good game featuring a duel between Randy Johnson (complete game) and Mussina. The O's won 3-1 to advance to the ALCS. What struck me about it, and I remember being struck by the same thing 10 years ago, was the complete anti-Oriole bias by commentator Joe Morgan. The entire game Morgan went on and on about what a great pitcher Randy Johnson was. Randy Johnson this...Randy Johnson that... blah, blah, blah. Listening to him you never would have thought the O's pounded Johnson in game 1 or that the Orioles were actually ahead in the series and only 1 win away from advancing. He made no mention of what a great pitcher Mussina was. No mention of how the Mariners could not find a way to get to Moose in this game or game 1. Morgan just kept going on and on about how the M's bats were due to heat up and once the great Randy Johnson got the lead it would be difficult for the O's to come back. Unbelievable. At least Jon Miller was broadcasting with Morgan to keep things objective.

After the game I watched the celebration in the clubhouse. I do not understand the use of champaign celebrating a divisional playoff series, but that was the last time our O's celebrated anything. They truly had a championship caliber club that year.

[Winning_Season]

I didn't see the game on tv, but I was at the game 10 years ago. Deffinatly the high water mark of my baseball wathcing career, I dont really remember the game (I was like 7 years old). Just the O's winning, and cheering like crazy.

Also game 3 was the only time I ever rooted against the O's, so there would be a game 4 to go to.

The day the tickets went on sale I learned what the redail button on the phone was, as me and my mom kept calling ticket master to get tickets.

[NOVA OriolesFan]

I didn't see the game on tv, but I was at the game 10 years ago. Deffinatly the high water mark of my baseball wathcing career, I dont really remember the game (I was like 7 years old). Just the O's winning, and cheering like crazy.

Also game 3 was the only time I ever rooted against the O's, so there would be a game 4 to go to.

The day the tickets went on sale I learned what the redail button on the phone was, as me and my mom kept calling ticket master to get tickets.

Man I would have killed to been at that game. I never got to see an Orioles playoff game during those years. It's hard to believe it's been so long. Remember feeling that after 97 oh well we'll get them next year but it never happened of course. I was ten at the time.

[Pedro Cerrano]

I was a sophomore in high-school during that game.

I'm currently one year removed from law school. Gah!

[DrungoHazewood]

Great game, I was there. Got tickets from some random guy outside the stadium half hour before first pitch. If you extend the LF foul line up to the very top row of the upper deck, that was my seat.

The next week my buddies and I were in Cleveland for this game (http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CLE/CLE199710120.shtml). Got tickets from a scalper minutes before first pitch, after driving up from Blacksburg after the Tech game. That place was a madhouse when Sandy Alomar won the game in the 9th. :mad:

[mefogus]

I watched the replay, and it brought back some great memories:

1) I had forgotten entirely about Geronimo Berroa. How could I forget that swing?

2) I had forgotten that Hammonds had perhaps the best season of his career then. In my mind he was an abject failure... I suppose hindsight is not always 20/20.

3) Mike Bordick's hop-throws to first.

4) What a good bullpen that was.

-m

[IHeartMASN]

I wasn't nearly as savvy about getting tickets back then. All I did was try and work through the Ticketmaster phone system, to no avail :(

I hope I get another chance.

[MCL1021]

The next week my buddies and I were in Cleveland for this game (http://www.baseball-reference.com/boxes/CLE/CLE199710120.shtml). Got tickets from a scalper minutes before first pitch, after driving up from Blacksburg after the Tech game. That place was a madhouse when Sandy Alomar won the game in the 9th. :mad:

The image of Tony Fernandez hitting that homerun in the 10th inning off Benitez that knocked us out of the ALCS still burns in my mind to this day.

That team should have went to the World Series.

[IHeartMASN]

The image of Tony Fernandez hitting that homerun in the 10th inning off Benitez that knocked us out of the ALCS still burns in my mind to this day.

That team should have went to the World Series.

I only saw it leave his bat. I buried myself into the couch right after that.

That game has aired on Classic a couple of times, but I never watch it.

[NOVA OriolesFan]

The image of Tony Fernandez hitting that homerun in the 10th inning off Benitez that knocked us out of the ALCS still burns in my mind to this day.

That team should have went to the World Series.

My memory is of Robby Alomar striking out looking on an inside pitch. I've looked at the box scores. What I didn't remember for the longest time was all four our losses were by one run each. It's really frustrating too because we were a better team statisically than Cleveland that year. What could have been sigh.

[IamtheSkip]

The image of Tony Fernandez hitting that homerun in the 10th inning off Benitez that knocked us out of the ALCS still burns in my mind to this day.

That team should have went to the World Series.

Ugh. That one does hurt even now.

A big part of that game was the offense crapping its pants, though. Benitez helped drive the final blow home by giving up the bomb, but the bats ruined one of Mike Mussina's greatest single game performances ever. He owned the Indians that day.

[MCL1021]

Yeah....Palmeiro had plenty of chances all series....but screwed the pooch....oh well.

[NJOriolesFan]

I was at the game the day before. It's a story I remember vividly. Then 3rd base coach John McLaren left tickets for my brother and I at the hotel desk of the Renassiance Harborplace, where the Mariners were staying. My brother deals in sports memoriabilia and he gave McLaren a signed Mickey Mantle photo at the game. McLaren had given my brother game used stuff of Griffey, ARod and the Big Unit.

We got club level seats in the right field area. Two rows in front of us was none other than Donald Fehr, who my brother got to sign a baseball.

Anyway, we drove back to the Renassiance Harborplace afterward and as we were driving over we saw Randy Johnson walking back along Pratt Street in street clothes with a brown paper bag under his arm, carrying what looked like a 6 pack of something, but who knows? So after parking we go down to the lobby and we see the players just getting off the bus. I remember Jay Buhner being one scary looking dude. My brother stopped and talked to McLaren for a while. Then after a good 15 minutes and we were just about to leave, Griffey sneaks out the side garage exit (closest to the aquarium) and heads up the street to catch up to his dad and two women (could have been his mom and someone else). Anyway, my brother called out to him and trust me there weren't more than 5 or 6 of us out there at the time and without looking he quickly turned and pointed in our direction and screamed "No" and headed up the street. I know infringing on the personal time of these players is rough on them but his approach was very rude.